Born 1943 in Hilla, Iraq, lives and works in Arles, France.

Mehdi Moutashar’s geometric abstractions are open and fragmentary. His practice lies at the confluence of Western and Islamic traditions, inspired by minimalist and optical art, as well as by the intricate patterns of Islamic art and architecture. Moutashar graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, Baghdad (1966), after which he worked as an art teacher in Jeddah for one school year. He graduated from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris (1970), and was professor at the École Nationale des Arts Decoratifs, Paris (1974–2008). Recent exhibitions include Mathaf, Doha (2023), 16th Lyon Biennale (2022), and Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai (2019). In 2018, he won the Jameel Prize 5 at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Alidade

Alidade is a walkable construction that borrows formal and philosophical elements from the universal astrolabe. The astrolabe is a codified scientific tool and translates the universe’s complex celestial and planispheric logics for human use and navigation. Originally a Greek invention and then enhanced by Islamic polymaths, the tool made it possible to travel across land and sea while retaining the position of Makkah al-Mukarramah as the main geographical point. Mehdi Moutashar’s construction is concerned with the question of orientation as posed by the astrolabe, involving the cardinal points, the angle defined by the fold, and the fragmented line of space and time. 

The ground surface of the artwork is inspired by the tympanum, the immutable apparatus for all geographical and temporal measurements (month, year, day, and degrees). It is joined by a wall-like structure consisting of two identical shapes, each bent to opposite sides at an angle of 23.5 degrees —used on the astrolabe—which designates the inclination of the earth in relation to its north-south axis. This construction, spanning the entire diameter, is a dedication to the “alidade,” a turning board that enables the user to aim at a distant object. Alidade is an architectural structure and gateway that offers visitors a variety of viewpoints and the possibility of crossing it at its center, emulating the physical experience of orientation.